Data centers have been the driving force behind a significant increase in natural gas demand in the United States, with recent research indicating a nearly 25-fold rise in gas projects linked to these facilities over the past two years. According to Global Energy Monitor, over one-third of the new gas-fired power demand is tied directly to data centers—enough energy to power tens of millions of homes.
The findings come at a time when the Trump administration is promoting the expansion of data centers while rolling back pollution regulations in the oil and gas sectors. Building out the gas infrastructure in development could increase the U.S. gas fleet by approximately 50 percent, adding around 252 gigawatts to the existing 565 gigawatts of gas-fired power on the grid.
The demand for gas-fired power has seen a dramatic rise—in early 2024, approximately 85 gigawatts of gas power were in the pipeline for development, with only 4 gigawatts earmarked for data centers. However, by 2025, demand from data center projects surged to more than 97 gigawatts, indicating almost a 25-fold increase.
Jenny Martos, a researcher at Global Energy Monitor, noted that a surge in proposals for data centers began about a year and a half ago. The research compiled data from a variety of publicly available sources, including state regulatory filings and public announcements.
As developers race to meet the rising demand for electricity, not only are they seeking cleaner energy sources like natural gas, but they are also extending the lifetimes of coal-fired plants due to regulatory changes. While natural gas is cleaner than coal, it still emits CO2 and poses concerns related to methane leakage during extraction—all of which contribute to climate change.
The increase in gas demand is challenging because many proposed projects may not materialize, as developers often shop for power sources. Nevertheless, even a partial completion of the tracked projects could add nearly 30 gigawatts of gas-fired power to the grid, with an additional 159 gigawatts in various planning stages.
The ongoing boom in data center construction raises essential questions about the clean energy transition and how to mitigate the environmental impacts associated with this boom, especially as the demand for artificial intelligence continues to grow.
